Kit and method adapted for use in a vehicle glove compartment box

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a kit and methods adapted for use in a vehicle glove compartment box, which provides assistance in various vehicular scenarios related to traffic tickets, DWIs, car wrecks, avoiding repossessions, and using lemon laws. The kit includes a container, camera, and booklet and is small enough to fit conveniently inside a vehicle glove box. The booklet contains sequential step-by-step instructions to assist the user with the vehicular scenarios and is written in a simple and easy-to-read format that does not require a legal dictionary to decipher. In simpler terms, the present invention provides common sense tips to help protect one&#39;s legal rights.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The present invention relates to a kit and method adapted for use invehicular applications.

2. Related Art

Life can be filled with unpleasant circumstances which demand attention.During a lifetime of driving, an individual may be confronted withtraffic tickets, car wrecks, purchasing a lemon, or, unfortunately, evenbeing involved in a repossession or DWI. When confronted with theseissues, one may be unsure of the various legalities and practicalconsiderations involved. For example, one may be unaware of what to sayor admit to the officer, whether to pursue an uninsured driver, or whento remain silent.

Other kits have attempted to address similar needs. The Business in aBox™ is such a kit and can be found at www.business-in-a-box.com. Itprovides a collection of business document templates which address coverletters, contracts, policies, spreadsheets, board resolutions, andchecklists. However, this kit fails to address the before-mentionedvehicular needs. For example, although it may be small enough to fitinside a glove compartment box, the Business in a BOx™ kit fails toprovide clear, step-by-step instructions for dealing with traffictickets, car wrecks, repossessions, purchasing lemons, and DWIs. Rather,the Business in a BOx™ only addresses corporate concerns and has nothingto do with vehicular scenarios. Therefore, the inventors of the presentapplication realized there is a need in the art for a quick andefficient, easy-to-understand guide to approaching these vehicularissues. The present invention addresses those needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing, embodiments of the present invention provide akit small enough to be positioned within a glove compartment box of avehicle. The kit includes a booklet, camera, and a container. Thebooklet contains step-by-step pre-selected legal instructions to assista user in protecting his or her legal rights. The booklet is written ina simple and easy-to-read-format that does not require a legaldictionary to decipher. In simpler terms, it provides common sense tipsto help protect one's legal rights.

A method of using a kit according to an embodiment of the presentinvention includes removing the kit from a vehicle glove box in responseto a vehicular scenario. The kit includes the container, camera, andbooklet. Once the kit has been removed from the glove compartment box, auser can remove the camera and booklet from the container, use thesequential step-by-step instructions to assist the user in responding tothe vehicular scenario, and use the camera to take pictures of thevehicle, surrounding area, and accident scene, thereby preserving vitalevidence.

Another method of using the kit according to an embodiment of thepresent invention includes inserting a camera into an open end of acontainer, wherein a size of the container is small enough to allow thecontainer to fit conveniently inside the glove compartment box of thevehicle, inserting a booklet into the open end of the container, thebooklet having pre-selected legal instructions related to vehicularscenarios, and the booklet is further arranged in a pre-selected formatto outline sequential steps to take in response to the vehicularscenarios and further comprises a pre-selected section to writeinformation related to the vehicular scenarios, promoting anddistributing the kit, and selling the kit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some of the objects and advantages of the present invention having beenstated, others will become apparent as the description proceeds whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the kit positioned within a vehicleglove compartment box;

FIG. 2. is a perspective view showing the x, y, and z axes of the kit;

FIG. 3 is an expanded view of the kit container;

FIG. 4 shows the kit container opened at both ends;

FIG. 5 illustrates how the booklet and camera fit inside the kitcontainer;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the kit;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the front of the kit containeralong the x,z plane;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the bottom of the kit container alongthe y,z plane;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the rear of the kit container alongthe x,z plane;

FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate the contents of the booklet; and

FIGS. 12 and 13 is a flow chart illustrating certain methods of thepresent inventions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings in which embodiments of theinvention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Likenumbers refer to like elements throughout.

As illustrated in the FIGS. 1-13, and as described herein, embodimentsof the kit and methods of the present invention can be applicable tovarious vehicle including, for example, cars, sports utility vehicles,and vans. As understood by those skilled in the art, however, thepresent invention could also be applicable to other transportationmeans, including, for example, motorcycles, tractor trailers, or anyother vehicle.

This kit and method is adapted for use in a vehicle glove compartmentbox. As illustrated in the figures, the kit 20 comprises a container 22,booklet 26, and camera 24. Although not illustrated, a box filling orpacking can be included in the container to provide additional supportfor the structure of the container. The container 22 can take any shapesmall enough to allow the kit to fit conveniently inside a glove box.However, in its most preferred embodiment, the container comprises aparallelogram shape that allows it to fit conveniently inside a glovebox as illustrated in FIG. 8. The parallelogram shape is alsoadvantageous in that it allows the kit to fit nicely into an angledglove compartment box. The parallelogram shape is best illustrated inFIG. 8, which illustrates the container bottom 36 showing opposingparallel sidewalls 32A and 32B and opposing parallel sidewalls 34A and34B.

The container 22 can be made out of any suitable material. In its mostpreferred embodiment, the container 22 is made of plastic or cardboardand is decorated with various information addressing the kit'susefulness. This information includes the “Lawyer In The Glove Box”trademark, an illustration of the booklet, an illustration of a personresembling a lawyer, and other marketing information related to thecontents and usefulness of the kit.

The container 22 also comprises a front open portion 28 and a frontnon-opened portion 30. The front non-opened portion 30 contains some ofthe illustrations previously discussed, while the front opened portionallows the user to view the camera as shown in FIG. 6. The camera can beany suitable type, including disposable cameras, digital cameras, etc.The camera can also be enclosed within its own individual innercontainer, illustrated by camera packaging 25, which could comprise anysuitable material. However, in its most preferred embodiment, it is aplastic or cellophane enclosure used to protect the camera from outsideelements.

A booklet 26 and camera 24 are enclosed within the container 22. Thebooklet 26 contains sequential, pre-selected, step-by-step instructions27 which assist a user in handling various vehicular scenarios. Thebooklet contains a table of contents which indexes information relatedto traffic tickets, DWIs, Car Wrecks, Repossessions, and Lemon Laws. Thetable of contents allows the user to quickly and efficiently find thesection of the booklet addressing his or her problem.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the step-by-step instructions 27 willbe described now. The section covering traffic tickets begins withgeneral information addressing what to do when you are stopped by thepolice. For example, the booklet discusses how you must stop the car andnever flee from police, be polite to the officer, and what to do beforesigning a ticket. The booklet 26 goes on to inform the user to makediagrams of the scene, notes, and to take photographs. Also, the booklet26 goes on to discuss what to do at the initial hearing and trial.

The section addressing DWIs discusses tips related to generalinformation and what to do when you are intoxicated and when you are notintoxicated. For example, this information can include keeping yourlicense handy, what to do when asked “have you been drinking”, alwaysassuming the stop is being taped, never using the car for support, andhow to respectfully refuse sobriety tests.

The section addressing car wrecks discusses tips related to generalinformation, what to do when the accident is and is not your fault, andinsurance issues. For example, this information can include moving yourcar to a safe area, make no offers to pay, getting insuranceinformation, getting witness info, and calling your insurance agency.This section can even include information discussing what to do if youdo not have insurance.

The section addressing repossessions discusses tips related to generalinformation, loan agreements, and the repossession itself. For example,these tips can address avoiding repossession, alternative paymentoptions, and what the repossession agent can and cannot do whenattempting to repossess the vehicle.

The section addressing lemon laws discusses tips related to generalinformation and what to do when you suspect your car is a lemon. Forexample, this information can include obtaining copies of all repairorders, when to contact dealer service managers, and state laws relatingto lemon laws. At the rear of the booklet, there is a section to insertnotes.

FIGS. 2 and 5 will now be used to illustrate how the contents of thecontainer can be used as support for the container's structure. Asillustrated, one can see how the length and width of the booklet issubstantially proportional to the length and width of the container andthe width of the camera is substantially proportional to the width ofthe container. As discussed herein and illustrated in FIG. 2, the lengthof the booklet and container extends along the x axis, while the widthof the container, booklet, and camera extend along the z axis and thethickness of the container, booklet, and camera extend along the y axis.

The size of the container 22 will now be described. In its mostpreferred embodiment, the length of the container is in the range of7-11 inches, the width of the container is in the range of 4-7 inches,and the thickness of the container is in the range of 1-2.5 inches.However, those ordinary skilled in this art would realize any size whichallows the kit to fit inside a vehicle glove compartment box would besufficient and is considered encompassed within this disclosure.

Various methods of using the present invention can be envisioned.However, only a two exemplary methods have been illustrated in FIGS. 12and 13 and steps 42-58. Other methods will now be discussed. One suchmethod comprises the steps of inserting a camera and booklet into acontainer small enough to fit conveniently inside a vehicle glove box,the booklet including pre-selected legal instructions related to one ormore vehicular scenarios, the one or more vehicular scenarios begintraffic tickets, DWIs, wrecks, repossessions, and lemon laws, and thebooklet is further arranged in a pre-selected format to outlinesequential steps to take in response to each one of the one or morevehicular scenarios and further comprises a section to write informationrelated to the vehicular scenarios; distributing, promoting, and sellingthe kit; acquiring the kit; and using the kit in the various vehicularscenarios.

Another method of the present invention comprises the steps of inresponding to a vehicular scenario, removing the kit from the vehicleglove compartment box, the kit comprising a container, camera, andbooklet, the container being small enough to conveniently fit inside thevehicle glove compartment box; removing the camera and booklet from thecontainer, the booklet being arrange in a pre-selected format to outlinesequential steps to take in response to the one or more vehicularscenarios; using the sequential steps to assist a user in responding tothe one or more vehicular scenarios; and using the camera to takephotographs of data related to the one or more vehicular scenarios.

In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed embodimentsof the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they areused in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for the purpose oflimitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the followingclaims.

1. A kit adapted to be positioned in a glove compartment box of avehicle, the kit comprising: a container, wherein a dimension of thecontainer is small enough to allow the container to fit convenientlyinside the glove compartment box of a vehicle, the dimension of thecontainer being 7-11 inches for a length, 4-7 inches for a width, and1-2.5 inches for a thickness; a camera positioned within the container;and a booklet positioned within the container, the booklet providingpre-selected legal instructions related to one or more vehicularscenarios.
 2. The kit of claim 1, wherein a front surface of thecontainer further comprises an opened portion and a non-opened portion,the camera being positioned within the container so that the camera isreadily visible by a user through the opened portion.
 3. The kit ofclaim 2, wherein: the camera is a disposable camera; wherein the camerais enclosed within an inner container; wherein the opened portion of thefront surface of the container overlays the disposable camera; andwherein the non-opened portion of the container comprises a majorportion of the container.
 4. The kit of claim 3, wherein the one or morevehicular scenarios comprise traffic tickets, driving while under theinfluence, wrecks, repossessions, and lemon laws.
 5. The kit of claim 1,wherein the booklet is arranged in a pre-selected format to outlinesequential steps to take in response to each of the one or morevehicular scenarios and further comprises a pre-selected section towrite information related to the one or more vehicular scenarios.
 6. Thekit of claim 3, wherein the major portion has at least two opposing sidewall portions substantially parallel to each other so that the majorportion defines a substantially parallelogram shape.
 7. The kit of claim1, wherein: a length and width of the booklet is substantiallyproportional to a length and width of the container; wherein a width ofthe camera is substantially proportional to the width of the container;and the kit further comprises a container support positioned within thecontainer, thereby providing structural support for the container.
 8. Akit adapted to be positioned in a glove compartment box of a vehicle,the kit comprising: a container; a camera positioned within thecontainer; a booklet positioned within the container, the bookletproviding pre-selected legal instructions related to one or morevehicular scenarios, the one or more vehicular scenarios comprisingtraffic tickets, DWIs, wrecks, repossessions, and lemon laws; thebooklet being further arranged in a pre-selected format to outlinesequential steps to take in response to each of the one or morevehicular scenarios and further comprises a pre-selected section towrite information related to the one or more vehicular scenarios; andwherein a size of the container is small enough to allow the containerto fit conveniently inside the glove compartment box of the vehicle. 9.A method of assembling a kit adapted to be positioned in a glovecompartment box of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:inserting a camera into an open end of a container, wherein a size ofthe container is small enough to allow the container to fit convenientlyinside the glove compartment box of the vehicle; and inserting a bookletinto an open end of the container, the booklet providing pre-selectedlegal instructions related to one or more vehicular scenarios, wherein alength and width of the booklet is substantially proportional to alength and width of the container, a width of the camera issubstantially proportional to the width of the container, and acontainer support is positioned within the container, thereby providingstructural support for the container.
 10. The method of claim 10,wherein the step of inserting the camera into the open end of thecontainer, the front surface of the container further comprises anopened portion and a non-opened portion, the camera being positionedwithin the container so that the camera is readily visible by a userthrough the opened portion.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein: thecamera is a disposable camera; the camera is enclosed within an innercontainer; the opened portion of the front surface of the containeroverlays the disposable camera; and the non-opened portion of thecontainer comprises a major portion of the container.
 12. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the one or more vehicular scenarios comprise traffictickets, DWIs, wrecks, repossessions, and lemon laws.
 13. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the booklet is arranged in a pre-selected format tooutline sequential steps to take in response to each of the one or morevehicular scenarios and the booklet further comprises a pre-selectedsection to write information related to the one or more vehicularscenarios.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the major portion of thecontainer has at least two opposing side wall portions substantiallyparallel to each other so that the major portion of the containerdefines a substantially parallelogram shape.
 15. The method of claim 9,wherein a size of the container is small enough to allow the containerto fit conveniently inside the glove compartment box of the vehicle. 16.A method of using a kit adapted to be positioned in a glove compartmentbox of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of: inserting a camerainto an open end of a container, wherein a size of the container issmall enough to allow the container to fit conveniently inside the glovecompartment box of the vehicle; inserting a booklet into the open end ofthe container, the booklet providing pre-selected legal instructionsrelated to one or more vehicular scenarios, the one or more vehicularscenarios being traffic tickets, DWIs, wrecks, repossessions, and lemonlaws, and the booklet is further arranged in a pre-selected format tooutline sequential steps to take in response to each of the one or morevehicular scenarios and further comprises a pre-selected section towrite information related to the one or more vehicular scenarios;promoting and distributing the kit; and selling the kit.
 17. A method ofusing a kit adapted for use in a vehicle glove compartment box, themethod comprising the steps of: in response to one or more vehicularscenarios, removing the kit from the vehicle glove compartment box, thekit comprising a container, a camera, and a booklet, the containerdimensions of 7-11 inches for a width, 4-7 inches for a width, and 1-2.5inches for a thickness; removing the camera and the booklet from thecontainer, the booklet being arranged in a pre-selected format tooutline sequential steps to take in response to the one or morevehicular scenarios; using the sequential steps to assist a user inresponding to the one or more vehicular scenarios; and using the camerato take one or more photographs of data related to the one or morevehicular scenarios.